Raising quintuplets: Mother, 29, reveals her chaotic life with a family of TEN - including 21 litres of milk a week, toilet training five babies and an enormous strain on her marriage
- Kim Tucci found out she was pregnant but her life quickly took a different turn
- The mum-of-eight said her weekly grocery bill costs just $250 to feed her family
- The big family go through 21 litres of milk and seven loaves of bread a week
- The parents welcomed five children to their growing brood in January 2016
- They revealed they are currently separated as the pressure to raise kids takes toll
A young mother who gave birth to quintuplets has revealed what it's really like juggling her family-of-10 - and the major challenges she's faced since their birth.
Kim Tucci, 29, was thrilled to find out she was pregnant in 2015 - but life took a different turn when she and her husband Vaughn, 35, discovered there were five tiny heartbeats in her womb.
The doting parents, from Perth, welcomed five children to their brood in January 2016 - a son Keith and four daughters - Ali, Penelope, Tiffany and Beatrix.
Kim already had a son Kurt, 12, from her previous marriage - and two daughters Ava, 8, and Indiana, 6, with her husband before they naturally conceived quintuplets.
But raising eight children under one roof has taken a toll on their marriage, as the couple revealed they are currently separated.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the mother-of-eight offered a glimpse inside her household, how much she spends on their weekly grocery bill and her marriage.
Kim Tucci, 29, and her husband Vaughn, 35, welcomed quintuplets into the world in 2016 - they now have eight together together
The doting parents, from Perth, welcomed five children to their growing brood in January 2016 - a son Keith and four daughters - Ali, Penelope, Tiffany and Beatrix
Mrs Tucci said she spends just $250 a week on her grocery bill stocking up on staples such as milk, bread, cheese, yoghurt, meat and fresh fruits and vegetables.
'My grocery is cheaper because I don't buy expensive brands,' she said.
'The kids don't know any better. There are certain things I buy, like I would get the kids butter, and I have my own type of butter I buy. I like a certain bread and cheese but I get the kids a cheaper type.
'No one complains, none of the kids know the difference. I usually shop for whatever's on special, there's even good clearance on fruits and vegetables.
'I usually shop at different stores for different specials, buy things in bulk because it's so much cheaper.
'We go through so much toilet paper. I just get the cheap brand. People forget it's toilet paper at the end of the day, it's going to be flushed so you don't need expensive toilet paper.'
The mother said she meal preps her three-and-a-half-year old quintuplet's meals from scratch, including spaghetti bolognese packed with hidden vegetables, fried rice and risotto.
'I usually meal prep meals for the quins because they eat earlier than we do, I try to feed them all, so I can have a somewhat peaceful cook each night for the rest of us,' she said.
'I would make a pasta dish with hidden vegetables like pumpkin, sweet potato, zucchini and carrots blended together - make a sauce out of that.
The big family go through 21 litres of milk and seven loaves of bread a week and washes about 20 kilograms of clothes a day.
The mother-of-eight offered a glimpse inside her household - and how food shopping for a big family doesn't have to break the bank
'We go through three litres of milk a day, cereal every few days and at least a loaf of bread a day. We had an easy meal the other day - I made baked beans and they went through four tins, they are big eaters,' she said.
While the busy mother juggles her eight young children, she admits there's a new challenge every week, including toilet training.
'I think the challenges come and go. There's a new challenge every week. But the hardest thing right now is toilet training. Trying to toilet train five toddlers is hell,' she said, laughing.
'It's really difficult because two of them are completely toilet trained, the other three want to follow suit but they are not as advanced as the other two. We are keeping them all in undies at the moment, and we remind them to use the toilet.
'They had a really good week recently and I treated them to a Happy Meal, they were really excited about that. The quins have a really healthy diet so this was totally new to them, it was really exciting but expensive, cost me $90.'
The mother revealed she spends just $250 a week on her grocery bill to feed her family-of-10
The mother said she meal preps her three-and-a-half-year old quintuplet's meals from scratch, including spaghetti bolognese packed with hidden vegetables, fried rice and risotto
Mrs Tucci said another challenge was trying to give everyone 'one-on-one attention.
'I think giving everyone one-on-one attention is very difficult because there's not enough time to look after the house and get everything done,' she said.
'But I just get on with it, I can't just say "I can't adult today". I just get on with it and get it done. There have been times where I felt drained and run down but I have an early night, get enough sleep so I can recharge for the next day.'
Mrs Tucci said she tucks the quintuplets into their beds at 6.30pm every night.
'[The sleeping arrangement] is actually not too bad, the quins all go to bed at the same time at 6.30pm. I get them to bed, and they all sleep very well,' she said.
'The older kids go to bed a little later but it all comes down to having a routine. Then the quins get up at about 7am.
'The sleep across three bedrooms - two, two and one. But they're going to swap rooms soon because two have become really close, it can be night time stays in other bedrooms - it can be a battle but we're going to change rooms to suit their needs.'
While the busy mother juggles her eight young children, she admits there's a new challenge every week, including toilet training
As the quintuplets get older, Mrs Tucci said buying clothes has started to get more challenging.
'It can be quite stressful, they are starting to have their own style at the moment. Beatrix likes Pepper Pig while the other likes The Wiggles,' she said.
'It's getting more expensive. I used to get away with cheap Kmart brands but they want brands, it's quite expensive. I try to shop at the right time, have a few family members and friends who pick things up and put them away for when they're bigger.'
She said the one thing she loves most about her quintuplets was: 'It's the things they come out with.
'My eldest daughter Eva, who's eight, can't say "squirrel" so Beatrix, one of the quins, was teaching Ava how to say "squirrel". Just the way they interact is sweet and funny,' she said.
The couple appeared in an episode of SBS's Insight 'Quads and Quins' on Tuesday night to discuss about the challenges since falling pregnant with quintuplets.
Mrs Tucci went through a challenging pregnancy with heart strain, forced into a C-section at under 30 weeks as her kids had no room to move.
She admits that after having quins, their marriage is strained and the couple is still trying to figure out their marriage.
Kim Tucci, 29, fell pregnant in 2015 - but her life took a different turn when she discovered there were five tiny heartbeats in her womb
'So me and Vaughn are currently separated. Having eight children puts a whole lot of stress on a marriage,' Mrs Tucci told SBS.
'We try to work as a team but there's no more arguing. There's no conflict or resentment. I'd kind of like we both have a job to do and we need to get it done.
'I think that was the main thing was doing the right thing for the children and they don't want to see a mum and a dad that are unhappy and arguing all the time. So now we just work as a team.'
Mrs Tucci said she believed the couple were struggling with their relationship because they got carried away with putting all their energy into their children.
'The money that could be spent on marriage counselling or even just seeing a counsellor yourself needs to be put towards food, clothing or electricity bills,' she said.
'We need self-love and to look after our own mental health before we can start looking after being a marriage unit. It's just, there's so much stress.
'I've often said its like, when we were living under the same roof, we're look two ships passing in the night.
'We're so busy, there's so many other people that are counting on us in the house that we kind of... it was more like roommates rather than a happy married couple.'
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